Woodruff not only led the Brewers minor league pitchers in innings pitched, ERA (among my qualified starters), WHIP, strikeouts and wins, but he led the minors in strikeouts. He came as far as anyone in the system and it’s hard to ignore his progress. There’s no doubt he earned the top recognition in the system and my fake award.

Most Improved: Jordan Yamamoto

The 20-year-old pitcher out of Hawaii has improved so much over the season. This is his first season with an ERA under 4, he dropped his whip by .8 over last year, doubled his innings pitched and nearly doubled hi SO/BB ratio. Jordan became a legitimate prospect in Appleton and his strikeout potential is really showing.

Most Disappointing: Jorge Lopez

Lopez was the most exciting pitcher in the farm heading into the year, but he had no success at AAA. His already high walk rate went up, his K/9 went down, his WHIP increased by .7. He did find more success at AA, but considering he started the season as a consensus top 100 prospect in baseball and ended off all mid-season lists, it’s very clear that he had the most disappointing season in the system.

Other Notes:

The pitching staff is looking up. Phil Bickford and Luis Ortiz were added to the system in August and didn’t qualify for the Brewers list but have a good chance to be leaders on this list next season. What has historically been a weakness for the Brewers has finally taken a great turn. It’s time to get excited about the Brewers minor league pitchers!